The rain soaked path created a reflective image of the buildings on the concrete as they walked through the city streets. They were stuck in foreign territory that appeared to be run by a group more dangerous and resourced than the gangs they were up against in Eden. Here the corruption was flaunted as a trophy, even the council building lit up in possessive red hues.
Lightning scratched at her arm and flinched at a passing car who had blared their horn at another motorist. Fang caught the movement and pulled her closer by the waist. She grit her teeth in frustration at the situation they found themselves in, no access to their funds, communications or crew. They were a far cry from their high life in Eden. Hell, they didn't even know where they'd landed.
"Hey, excuse me," Fang said to a man walking past, putting on her most professional, warm and friendly voice. "I was wondering if you could help. We are on a layover but slept through the announcements, could you tell us where we are?"
The business man scoffed and shook his head in amusement. "Ladies, you look more like you got on the wrong end of a mugger. I'd say you should go report whatever has happened to the police but... There hasn't been a point to their presence in this city for years. If you couldn't tell from the bright lights, constant noise and... Well you can't even call it a seedy underbelly when it's all right here in front of you... You're in Yusnaan."
Fang bowed, giving her thanks and the man went on his way. She turned to the pinkette and gave her a blank look. Lightning was busy staring at the city hall, drenched in an aggressive red glow. "It's a city well south of Eden, island state on the edge of a desert. Party capital of Nova Chrysalia. Honestly I'm surprised you haven't heard of it." Lightning finally said with a shrug.
"Well excuse me for living an insular life dealing with shit in my own back yard." Fang huffed and began to walk ahead in frustration. "No money, no phone, no idea who to trust... we are in a whole mess of trouble."
They continued walking in silence, Lightning scouring her memories for anything about the gang activity in this southern city. She mainly focused on the gangs in Eden and the countless analytical reports on NORA's former exploits, and didn't touch anything outside her jurisdiction. She could however recall a colleague submitting a report about crimes going unanswered in this district, and how they were concerned that whatever Yusnaan's version of the Guardian Corps were, they were being paid off to look the other way. While it explained the man's earlier words to them, it did little to help their situation or ease Lightning's growing distress.
Fang paused in her movements, feeling exhausted. Like some kind of karmic retribution finally catching up to her, it looked like she would be sleeping on the streets once more. She had long accepted whatever punishment the gods ordained to throw at her for her part in the downfall of Oerba, no matter how much the elder hidden away in the Warrens back in Eden told her otherwise. But it wasn't fair that Lightning would suffer the same fate. They found an overhang they could find refuse under, and hid from the Light smattering of rain that dotted at her eyes.
"I was hoping I'd be on my own when karma decided to rear its head." Fang sighed heavily, feeling defeated and lost. Lightning frowned and pulled at Fang's wrist, tugging her further along.
"Still haven't stopped punishing yourself for Oerba, huh? Fang, this has nothing to do with karmic punishment and everything to do with the fact that we weren't quite as finished with the Fal'Cie as we thought."
Lightning paused, watching a busker near the local train station playing away on a wind instrument to a backing track. A jazzy tune filled the night air, with a few spectators hovering to listen to the performance. They locked eyes for a moment through the crowd, and the musician gave a little wink as he continued to play. Lightning moved up beside Fang and hugged her gently, burying herself into the crook of the Pulsian's neck.
"We'll be ok, Fang. I promise we'll figure something out and get home."
The brunette gave a short harrumph and Lightning felt her tense in her arms. Fang's attention was drawn towards a large man with a couple of friends, walking towards the group. The audience immediately dispersed, and the busker became a little more rigid in his movements, quieter in his tune. The trio were very coordinated, and she concluded that they were flying colours. The leader walked right up to the small boy, and shoved him into the wall.
Fang growled low in her throat and immediately moved to intervene, but was caught and held by Lightning. "We don't want to risk anything in our current position. Just… Wait." She hissed in warning, feeling the Pulsian tense even more in rage. The boy with the flute refused to make eye contact with the thugs, keeping his head bowed and away from them.
"Where's your permit, boy?" The leader asked with a sneer coating his voice. The busker pointed at the small case of coins he had collected, that had a small piece of paper attached that served as his permission to busk there. The tall, imposing man leant down and gave the case a once over, before shutting it and tucking it under his arm. "I think I'll need to take this as payment for the incorrect paperwork, whelp." The boy didn't protest, but his shoulders slumped in defeat.
Fang ground her teeth in her head as she watched them leave, laughing about their cruelty as they left. It was too reminiscent of growing up in Oerba. The kid reminded her too much of Vanille in her youth. Before Lightning could stop her she chased after the trio, shoulder charging the nearest one into a nearby bin. The leader whirled around and snarled, eliciting a feral grin from the Pulsian. She winked at him and took off into a nearby alleyway, the others giving chase. Fang raced through the narrow passageway until she hit a dead end, dumpsters and a building barring her path. Turning with a smile, she rolled her shoulders and gestured at them with a crook of her hand.
"Come and get me boys." She purred, finally feeling like this was something she could control.
She dodged the first swing from an enraged thug and planted a few quick jabs into his ribs in retaliation. Fang spun and kicked her heel out, smashing into the face of one of the men who was attempting to get inside her guard. Another had flanked her and got his arms underneath hers, lifting her up by the shoulders. The leader stepped towards her and clocked her hard in the face, sending blood into the nearby wall from her lip. If anything the injury only spurred her on, and she laughed from the battle lust roaring through her veins.
Fang kicked out and connected with the leader's shin, and then used her momentum to run up his body. She flipped herself out of the grip of the thug behind her and twisted her arms around to brutally snap his neck. She landed just as the leader tackled her to the ground and brandished a weapon in her face. There were no cocky words from the man as he clicked the hammer back and tightened his grip. The brunette's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before a steel trashcan came into view, smashing into his head and sending his shot wide. The leader flew into the wall headfirst, cracking his skull on the bricks. He dropped like a lead weight, and didn't get back up. Lightning was breathing heavily, her glare alternating between the bodies in the alley and her partner.
"... Knew you'd catch up eventually," Fang said meekly with a shrug. The pinkette's upper lip twitched in irritation and she reluctantly helped the Pulsian up. Lightning took a couple of minutes to search the thugs, grabbing the gun and any wallets she could find. Sadly, none of them carried any phones on them to call up a tactful retreat.
"Etro's Gate, Fang. We've barely been here five minutes and you're already looking to go get yourself killed?" Lightning growled, picking up the instrument case that had been dropped during the altercation. She handed it to her wife roughly and nodded towards the exit of the alley.
Fang gulped and made a tactful retreat, knowing she was probably going to cop it later from the stoic former Guardian Corps officer. She spat out blood from her mouth and headed back in the direction of the station to find the busker still there, being hugged by a small teenage girl. The Pulsian walked up to the boy and tapped him on the shoulder. "I think you dropped this, love. Why don't you get out of here before anyone else tries to take your hard-earned coin?"
He looked up at her, bewildered. "You… You got my case back?" He asked, uncertain as he jingled the case to hear the coin. "But you… You're hurt!"
"Eh, all in a day's work kid. I'll be fine."
The girl with the musician gave both Fang and Lightning a once over and raised her eyebrow. "Looks like this is an average day's work for you if you were so willing to seek death… Haven't seen you around before. Tourists?"
Lightning laughed quietly, the sound tired and strained. "You could say that. Not by choice I'm afraid."
The girl nodded, deep in thought. She helped the musician up and whispered something in his ear. He clutched at the case tighter and hummed in agreement with whatever he was being told. "I'm Vaan. This is Penelo. If you took on The Lucavi and lived, you're obviously not fans of their handiwork in Yusnaan. You need to get off the streets in case there's reinforcements on their way."
"It isn't like we have anywhere to go, if you can point us to somewhere we can stay that's safe while we figure out what to do we'd be appreciative." Lightning said, looking around at the dreary city that was starting to clear of people in the late evening. Fang stood close and put a tentative arm around her, hoping some of the anger at her brash behaviour was settling down. She inwardly thanked Lady Luck that Lightning leant into the contact instead of pushing her away. Though Fang knew with a sinking feeling she wasn't out of the woods for her earlier stunt. There was a noticeable shiver than ran through Lightning's pale skin, and Fang realised that her partner was likely freezing from the wet weather and their earlier dip in the river.
"I think it'll be ok if you come with us. You'll have to meet Balthier, he's the sort of volunteered head of the camp down in the warehouse district. But considering how you helped us I think you'll be alright."
The two teens started to hurry off, with Fang and Lightning having to work to keep up with them in their exhausted state. They were lead to the industrial district, to a back corner near a warehouse that was stacked with half buried shipping crates in the sand. Homeless people of varying ages sat around fires, and the boy named Vaan had rushed over to a short, blonde-haired man in the centre of the camp near the largest of the fires. Despite his homeless status, the man held himself proudly like he was some lost lineage of royalty. After a few minutes of what appeared to be hushed, rapid debate the man walked over with the boy in tow.
"So, I hear you two are in need of safe haven," He said, looking them both over with disdain. Fang nodded and put her hand out in greeting,trying not to feel self conscious that she was introducing herself covered in dirt and blood.
"Good evenin' sir. My name is-"
"I'm well aware of who you are, Oerba Yun Fang. What I am more interested in is why you're here. What brings Ragnarok and her Saviour of Eden bride to our fair city?" He interjected with a chuckle that sounded anything but jovial. The Pulsian shifted uneasily on her feet, glancing back to her partner for some assistance. Lightning stepped forward and bowed politely.
"It wasn't by choice, sir. We were boarding a flight to Luxerion when the plane was hijacked by the Triads. We were taken against our will for an audience with someone claiming to be the Maker, whoever that is. We escaped by jumping out of the plane. Landed in the harbour before the plane crashed." Lightning offered in explanation, in the hopes that the honesty would placate him. His eyebrows raised and he nodded approvingly. The man visibly relaxed and shifted his weight onto his back foot, folding his arms in a casual demeanour.
"I'm impressed. Well, I suppose any enemy of the Triads are friends of ours. Welcome to the Strahl, I am Balthier Bunansa, the unofficial... Caregiver of this camp, such as it is. I'm sure the opulence isn't anything you're used to these days, but we have what would pass as a dry space to sleep and something that would remotely constitute as food." He finally held out his hand in greeting and Fang clasped it with a grateful smile.
"I grew up on the streets and lived in sewers, mate. I think I'll be just fine. How'd you know who we were anyway?" She asked as he led the two over to a nearby shipping crate that was buried in the ground. Balthier didn't respond, opening up the hatch on the top of it and climbing the ladder down. He flicked a lever on a lantern hung on the wall of the container to illuminate the makeshift room. There were rags and shabby material hung everywhere, but the one thing that drew their eye was a laminated Ragnarok poster that was being used to patch up a rusted hole in the container. "Right. That explains that then." Fang said sheepishly, scratching at the back of her head.
"We all find it fascinating, that a criminal gang could somehow achieve such celebrity status and be praised in their city. You did a lot of good for the less fortunate in the Warrens, so maybe you're someone worth offering shelter to for a night. This is a spare room of sorts, since the previous occupant was… Removed by the Triads. If you can hold out until morning we'll see if we can find some food for you." Balthier mused while scratching at his face. He turned to head back up the ladder but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
"Here, see if you can get anything for your camp with this." Lightning said as she offered up all the money she'd found in the wallets collected. There was at least several hundred gil in her hand, and she stuffed it all in his. His eyebrows raised at the amount and a slow grin formed across his face.
"This will be enough for a fine feast, and even some supplies that are needed for a few here, thank you. Get some rest, I'll send Vaan for you in the morning and we can talk some more." He bade them goodnight and exited the container, quietly shutting the hatch behind him, leaving them alone and safe for the moment.
Lightning looked at their surroundings and smiled. "At least you're not threatening to cut me out of my jeans this time," she muttered quietly, Fang's sharp hearing catching her words. "Reminiscent, don't you think?"
With a hum of agreement, Fang carefully lifted the lamp from the wall. She spotted some fabric and furs in one corner that closely resembled a bed and took Lightning by the hand. After carefully placing the lamp within reach but not where it could accidentally be knocked over, she collapsed onto the makeshift mattress with a groan.
"What. A fucking. Night." Fang complained, rolling over to regard her partner. Lightning sat down gingerly and took her boots off before laying back to stare at the ceiling. There was a few hesitant moments before she finally rolled into the Pulsian, taking up her usual spot pressed in against Fang's chest. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier, Light." Fang whispered against the pale hair, kissing the top of the pinkette's head gently.
"You know how I hate unknowns, Fang. There are way too many unknowns here. After a rough night coming into the alleyway to find you with a gun to your head… It was too much. You shouldn't have risked yourself for that kid's money. But," Lightning pre-empted the protest and shushed the Pulsian with a finger to her lips, "I'm glad you did. We wouldn't have wound up here if you hadn't. Just… No more running off without me, ok? Especially in this place. You wanna beat someone within an inch of their life, you tell me and we'll go together. Alright?"
Fang leant down and kissed her, filling her heart with warmth at the sensations running through her body at the touch. "You got it, sweetheart." She purred, pulling up the furs. For now, they could relax and recharge in each other's arms, safe from the uncharted territory that lay beyond the container. Lightning reached over to snuff out the lantern before returning to her prized place against her wife. They would face the nightmare they've landed in, later.
AN - Oooh an author's not on the bottom this time! woosh! There's a vague reference in this chapter to the "elder hidden in the Warrens", if you haven't read it, its chapter 4 of Starting Block. But yaaaay new characters- can you guess what game I was playing through when I started to write this a few months back?